Gundam Seed: Back to the Future
by Admiral Valerian
Summary: The Requiem was supposed to have wiped out the Earth Forces that tried to stop the Destiny Plan, but it also sent ripples across time and space. How will those ripples affect the events of two years ago?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

Arrival and First Battle

_The Atlantic Federation fleet launched from the lunar base located at Arzachel Crater on the Moon, determined to stop ZAFT from implementing their insane leader's Destiny Plan. The fleet's commanders were nervous; officially, ZAFT had destroyed the Requiem super-weapon hidden at the lunar base at Daedalus Crater on the other side of the Moon. But even with Blue Cosmos discredited, the people and leaders of the Atlantic Federation still distrusted Coordinators, and never had that distrust been more founded now that PLANT's supposedly 'liberal' leader had been revealed to espouse genetic ideals disturbingly similar to those once held by the Nazis of the twentieth century. They had to get to get the fleet out to space before ZAFT could fire the Requiem, and then they just might have a chance to stop ZAFT and save the world from falling into the hands of a man not so different from the merchants of death he had eliminated._

_But it was too late; even as the warships of the Atlantic Federation entered into an orbit that would bring them to intercept course with the ZAFT fleet and launched mobile suits, the last relay station needed to redirect the beam moved into position, and Chairman Durandal gave the order to fire. It took less than a minute for the beam to reach its target, both the lunar base and the fleet destroyed by the weapon they themselves had built…_

* * *

The pilot of GAT-04 Windam shook her head as she woke, removing her helmet before rubbing her temples. "What the hell was that?" the young woman asked softly, before replacing her helmet and reactivating her unit's systems, starting with the sensor arrays and the cockpit's panoramic monitor. "_The last I remember was the Requiem beam coming down hard and fast on the fleet and base…that, and a blinding white light. Where am I? Where's the fleet?_" she silently asked herself, looking around at the surrounding debris. She wasn't exactly skilled at identifying debris, but from the look of things, the debris wasn't that of the fleet, and more like that of a destroyed colony. And judging from the heat the debris was emitting, the colony had been destroyed quite recently.

"_It doesn't look like I'm near the Moon either…_" she thought to herself, looking around and finding no sign of the Moon's grey bulk. At that point, the Windam's sensors picked up something: an Alliance IFF, as well as a ship in the distance. Magnifying the image, the pilot's eyes widened as she recognized the vessel: it was an Archangel-class. "_…friendlies? If so, then I might just get some answers._" She thought as she slowly piloted her unit towards the warship in the distance.

* * *

"…captain?" Natarle asked Murrue in surprise when the other woman had apparently allowed the Strike to bring in a civilian life pod, and against her better judgment.

"I don't want to waste any more time arguing about this than we have to." Murrue explained, causing Natarle to curse internally. At this point and with their current situation, they couldn't afford to take in refugees, but Murrue was the Archangel's captain, and not Natarle.

"I understand captain." She replied with a neutral tone and with a salute.

"Captain…" Petty Officer Jackie Tonomura called out from the sensor station. "…I've picked up an approaching mobile suit. However, it seems to be broadcasting an Alliance IFF."

"What?"

"Furthermore, the unit is moving slowly as if…captain, we're receiving a transmission."

Murrue and Natarle shared a look before the former replied. "…patch it through."

"…this is Lieutenant…Stern…please respond…Earth Forces vessel…"

"This is insane but, I think that's one of ours." Mu said with a bemused expression.

"That's impossible!" Natarle burst out. "The G Project's five mobile suits are the first…"

"…the first mobile we developed that we know of." Mu finished for her. "That doesn't mean some other branch of the Earth Forces couldn't develop their own mobile suits. The G Project was supposed to be a secret after all, even to most of our forces. Who's to say there aren't other mobile suit development projects out there that we don't know about?"

"I'm inclined to agree…" Murrue said thoughtfully; after a moment, she nodded as she made her decision. "...give the pilot permission to land her unit; Lieutenant la Flaga and myself will go meet this Lieutenant Stern, but in the meantime, you have the bridge, Lieutenant Badgiruel."

"Yes Captain." The other woman replied with a salute, as Murrue and Mu floated over to the elevator.

* * *

Petty Officer First Class Kojiro Murdoch whistled as the Windam walked into the hangar. The mobile suit wasn't as distinguished-looking as the Strike, but he was a good enough engineer to notice that the unit was clearly of superior design. In her cockpit, Lieutenant Alexandria Stern carefully piloted her unit to the designated dock, carefully avoiding all the crates and equipment strewn around the MS hangar, to say nothing of the tech crew. Her eyes did widen however, at the sight of the Strike and a Mobius Zero opposite her unit. "_The Strike…but that unit was destroyed years ago! And the Zero was rendered obsolete by the new Exus mobile armours! What the hell is with this ship?_"

"Hey mobile suit pilot, you can come down now!" Murdoch shouted up to the pilot once the docking was complete. Then he waved an informal salute as Murrue and Mu arrived in the hangar as well. After a moment, the Windam's cockpit hatch opened and a woman wearing the orange pilot suit of an Earth Forces pilot came out. Removing her helmet, the brunette floated down to join the gathered officers. Alexandria's eyes widened a fraction at the sight of the supposedly-long dead 'Hawk of Endymion', which didn't fail to catch the man's attention.

"…see something interesting, lady pilot?" Mu asked with a playful smirk.

Ignoring the breach in protocol, she gave a salute before introducing herself. "I am Lieutenant Alexandria Stern of the Atlantic Federation Forces Tenth Mobile Suit Company. Thank you for allowing me to come aboard."

"I am Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the Atlantic Federation Space Forces Eight Fleet Special Operations Division, and Acting Captain of the Archangel-class Assault Ship Archangel." Murrue said, returning the formal introduction.

"I am Lieutenant Mu la Flaga of the Atlantic Federation Forces Third Mobile Armour Company." Mu did likewise, though like the captain he too was curious about something the pilot had said. Since when did their forces have mobile suit companies?

Even more surprising was the pilot's reaction. She seemed to be at a loss, her eyes flashing between their faces; after a moment, the pilot sighed. "May I ask what the date is?" she asked, seeming to be almost afraid of the answer.

Murrue and Mu shared a look before the former gave a reply. "Its January 25, Cosmic Era 71."

"I thought as much…" Alexandria said with a lamenting tone. "…perhaps it would be best to discuss my situation in private."

* * *

"Let me get this straight…" Natarle said, understandably suspicious about her story. "...you expect us to believe that you're from the future?"

"Yes, I do." She replied fearlessly, now wearing the white uniform of an officer. Natarle may be the ship's XO, but she wasn't the captain, and Alexandria outranked her. "If you have any doubts, feel free to check my Windam's internal chronometer and registration data. The latter has the date of manufacture for the unit."

Anything Natarle was going to say was cut off when the doctor entered the captain's office and gave a written report before leaving. Mu looked over Murrue's shoulder before nodding in satisfaction. "The DNA test's finished…" he said, the lieutenant having consented to a DNA test to help back her story. "…she's definitely a Natural. And seeing as no mobile suit in existence at this point in time can be piloted by a Natural, I for one am inclined to believe her story."

"As am I…" Murrue said, sharing a look with Natarle who gave a resigned nod after another moment. "…welcome aboard the Archangel, lieutenant. I apologize for the way we treated you, but…"

"I understand your sentiments, captain." Alexandria interrupted. "Rest assured, I hold no ill will to you or your actions."

"With that out of the way…" Mu said, looking at Alexandria expectantly. "…I don't suppose you have anything you'd like to share with us, Lieutenant Stern?"

"Alex will suffice commander." She said with a smile, and Mu snickered.

"So I get promoted in the future…nice."

"Well no, actually you and Commander Badgiruel over there were KIA during the Second Battle of Jachin Due, and most of the people on this ship had been declared traitors by then." She said with a neutral expression on her face, inwardly bracing for their reactions.

"KIA…me and Natarle…? And everyone else traitors?" Mu said aghast.

"To be fair, your reasoning at the time was quite understandable, and personally I agree with what you did." Alex said reassuringly. "After the Battle of JOSH-A, Blue Cosmos extremists had taken over the Alliance, and after being left to die during the battle, you and the other survivors defected to Orb. I mean, I don't like the way Coordinators look down on us Naturals, but I don't exactly hate them in general. Ultimately though, you were instrumental in ending the war and preventing genocide alongside the Clyne Faction."

"It sounds like an interesting story." Murrue said, somewhat reassured but desperate and eager to know what had led to such an outcome. "Perhaps you could start from this point in time?"

* * *

An hour later, the four officers gathered in the captain's office were deep in thought over what they knew will happen over the next two years. "So I guess that means we have to find an alternate means to resupply." Mu said, focusing on the most pressing issue. "Even if its unconfirmed information, I'd rather not risk the Eurasians trying to get their hands on this ship and our units."

"More importantly, we need to get information about Logos and the Destiny Plan to Admiral Halberton as quickly as possible." Murrue said, sharing a resolute look with all the officers present. Even Alex was included; it was bad enough that people hated Coordinators in general. They didn't need death merchants egging it on so they could profit from the resulting conflict, to say nothing of the madman Durandal's schemes for genetic determinism.

"I agree we should get inform the Admiral about the puppet masters behind this war…" Natarle interjected. "…but even more important is the data on the as-yet unbuilt ZAFT doomsday laser, GENESIS."

"I agree with C-Lieutenant Badgiruel." Alex agreed. "That thing was a monster, and could wipe out the entire Earth if fired directly on the planet. It almost did, if not for the Clyne Faction and Orb's intervention."

"…right now I believe we should focus on deciding what to do now." Murrue said firmly. "With Artemis not an option, we need to find an alternate source of resupply before we can rendezvous with the fleet."

"Our counterparts passed through the Debris Belt didn't they?" Mu said, an idea taking hold. "Perhaps if we salvage destroyed ships…"

"I believe the issue of the pursuing ZAFT forces should be more pressing." Natarle commented. "I recommend we head out of our current area at full speed and force ZAFT to split their forces by sending only the Nazca-class against us."

"Is that wise?" Mu asked. "I mean, even with Alex's Windam, we might not…"

"Those four units may be G-Weapons…" Alex answered with a steely glint in her eyes. "…but they're also outdated compared to my Windam. I should be able to face one or two of them on equal terms. As for the Strike, Ensign Yamato's skills were supposed to be quite formidable."

"He hasn't enlisted yet though." Mu responded. "And I doubt his skills are at the same level now as they were before he went MIA at the Marshall Islands."

"Unfortunately, it seems that this is the best strategy we have thus far." Murrue said wearily, leaning back on her chair as she did so.

* * *

"The Gamow will proceed along this route, while the Vesalius will proceed along this route to cut off the enemy ship here." Rau said, tracing the planned movements of his ship along the tactical map with a gloved finger.

"…Artemis?" Captain Ades asked in surprise. "But what if they head for the Moon instead?"

Before Rau could respond, one of the bridge crew called out. "We've detected an energy reading! The enemy ship has broken stealth and is now proceeding towards the Moon at maximum speed!"

"…Commander!" Ades said, turning to Rau. Behind his mask, Rau narrowed his eyes. This wasn't how he expected things should have gone.

"Considering the estimated speed of the new Alliance warship, the Gamow won't be able to keep up with the pursuit." He finally said. "Order the Gamow to transfer its mobile suits to the Vesalius as soon as possible. Once all units are aboard and launch preparations are complete, we will pursuit the enemy at all possible speed!"

* * *

"Sorry lieutenant…" Murdoch said apologetically. "…but we don't have 12.5mm rounds in our depleted inventory as it is. You might want to use your Vulcan cannons sparingly. And the same goes for those armour-breakers you have."

"I hear that." She said with a wave as she floated over to her unit's cockpit. Thankfully, apart from a few glitches in the electrical systems resulting from the…time shift, her Windam was fully combat ready. The only problem was the Archangel's lack of replacement stilettos and 12.5mm rounds should she ever run out, though at the moment her unit was fully-loaded. Entering the cockpit, she immediately went to work updating her unit's software to compensate for her altered circumstances.

* * *

"Captain…" Tonomura piped up. "..I've picked up an approaching vessel. It's a Nazca-class!"

"So they've come." Murrue replied grimly. It had been three and a half hours since they left Heliopolis' ruins, and she'd entertained some fleeting hope that they might shake their pursuers, but now reality was catching up. "Issue a Level One Battle Alert, and prepare to launch all units!"

* * *

"So you have finally what it takes to put on that uniform." Mu commented as he and Alex entered the ready room and spotted Kira wearing a blue and white pilot suit.

"It's as you said, lieutenant." Kira replied. "Right now, the three of us are the only ones who can protect this ship."

"Nice sentiments kid…" Alex said with fierce smile, though it was quickly replaced by a grimmer expression. "…but whatever you do, don't throw away your life out there."

After a moment, Kira nodded. "I understand."

* * *

The four stolen G-Weapons soared through open space from the Vesalius, their Phase-Shift Armour activating as they closed on the Archangel. "I've spotted three mobile weapons launching from the legged ship." Nicol called out. "One Mobius Zero…and two mobile suits…!"

"What was that?" Yzak retorted in surprise.

"There was another one apart from the Strike?" Dearka immediately asked in disbelief.

"Nicol and I can handle the Strike and that mobile armour." Athrun said firmly. "Yzak and Dearka, take care of the second mobile suit."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Yzak retorted in reply, but heading for the advancing Windam nonetheless with Dearka moving in behind him to provide support.

"…the Duel and the Buster…" Alex commented softly. "…I'm at a disadvantage!" The Duel and the Buster immediately opened fire, forcing her to increase her speed and to concentrate on evading. "What precise shooting skills…red coats are probably in those units!" she snarled angrily as she evaded or blocked the green and yellow beams coming towards her. "But even if they're G-Weapons, they're just two year old machines! They're not the Windam's enemies!"

Further increasing her speed, she forced the ZAFT pilots to compensate, and in the process leaving a tiny opening. She immediately capitalized on this, aiming and firing two precise shots at the Duel. The first shot was blocked by the Duel's shield, but the second destroyed its beam rifle. "…you bastard!" Dearka spat, combining his weapons and firing a hi-beam shot which the Windam barely evaded. He followed up by firing his shoulder-mounted missiles, firing sixteen missiles at the Windam.

Stowing her beam rifle, Alex simultaneously fired her Vulcan cannons while drawing a beam sabre. Using the missiles' explosions to cover her approach, she closed the distance to the Buster and caught Dearka by surprise. "The Buster may pack a punch at long-range, but it's nothing at this range!" she shouted as she slashed at the G-Weapon. Dearka managed to avoid getting killed, but lost both of his unit's legs.

"How dare you, Natural?" Yzak shouted in defiance, throwing away his shield before drawing both beam sabres and charging in to allow Dearka to retreat to safety. The Windam managed to block his attack, but Yzak immediately fired his afterburners, driving Alex back.

"Damn…it's overpowering me!" she snarled, before aiming and firing her shield-mounted missiles at point-blank range. The Phase-Shift Armour held, but the Duel was blasted back. Before Yzak could recover, Alex drew her beam rifle and fired, blowing off one of the Duel's legs.

"Fall back, Yzak!" Dearka shouted back, and with a whispered curse, Yzak did just that. With their mobility impaired, and the Duel having lost ranged combat capability, it would have been suicide to continue to fight. Alex attempted to pursue, but was forced back by a series of beams from the Blitz.

"Where do you think you're going? Mu commented, his Mobius Zero in hot pursuit and launching its gun-barrels. Nicol dodged the fire from the gun-barrels and the linear cannon, before firing off a spread of shots that took down one of the surrounding gun-barrels and forcing Mu to give some distance.

* * *

The Vesalius fired its beam cannons as it came into range, but the Archangel evaded before returning fire with its Valiant linear cannons followed by a spread of Sledgehammer missiles. The Vesalius evaded or shot down the return fire, but a second salvo from the linear cannons caused moderate damage to the ship's starboard side.

"Duel and Buster, serious damage…both units are returning!" the operations officer on the Vesalius' bridge called out, surprising both Rau and Ades. With only two mobile suits at their disposal and considering that the legged ship probably outgunned the Vesalius, even if Rau launched himself they still wouldn't have a guarantee of victory. "_Perhaps discretion would be the better part of valour at this point._" Rau thought to himself before giving new orders. "Launch the signal flares! We're breaking off pursuit for now!"

* * *

As the stolen mobile suits retreated, Mu and Alex drew up alongside the Strike. "Well, that went better than expected." Mu commented. "Nice work, Alex."

"Let's just head back to the ship." Alex said, more concerned about the kid piloting the Strike. No matter what the stories said, Kira was still new to the battlefield by this point, and she knew from personal experience how terrifying that could be.

* * *

"We're being summoned back to the homeland?" Ades asked in surprise.

"It seems that the Supreme Council is having some trouble with the fallout from Heliopolis' collapse." Rau replied, fingering the newly-arrived orders from PLANT. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Once we rendezvous with the Gamow, we're heading back to PLANT."

* * *

"Lieutenants Stern and la Flaga…!" Murdoch shouted up to the two pilots. "There's something wrong with the kid. He won't leave his unit."

The two pilots immediately shared an understanding look before floating over to the Strike. Mu immediately looked for and activated the external override, opening the cockpit but Alex was the first to reach Kira. "Calm down Kira…" she said comfortingly, prying his clenched fingers away from the controls. "…you're alive aren't you? And more importantly, everyone on the ship is alive as well."

Calming down, Kira looked at his shaking hands and then at Alex's offered hand. After a few moments, he shakily reached out and grabbed it, allowing the young woman to gently but firmly haul him out of the Strike's cockpit. "Nice job kid…" Mu said, patting him on the back. "…now let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

A/N

Regarding Kira being declared MIA following his battle with Athrun at the Marshall Islands outside of Orb, I assume that the Earth Alliance never learned of his survival and going on to pilot the Freedom. As for the Windam going toe-to-toe with the Duel and the Buster, I'd just like to point out that even with skilled pilots, aging units won't last for long against advanced units, as shown when even Kira was overwhelmed by GOUF Ignited mobile suits while piloting the Strike Rouge in Destiny. Grunt units can also prove surprisingly dangerous, as proven back in Zeta with Yazan and the Hambrabi against Kamille (who is definitely a better and more dangerous pilot than Kira ever will be) and the Zeta Gundam.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

Coordinators and Naturals

"You're still not pleased about this, are you captain?" Natarle asked Murrue during the changing of shifts. The Archangel had been heading for the Debris Belt for several days now, and would probably have arrived earlier had not Mu and Alex suggested that they take their time doing so. Natarle had agreed readily with the suggestion; space being as vast as it was, searching for the Archangel when it was moving stealthily would be somewhat akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, and it would further conserve their supply of fuel.

"Personally I still think we should hurry and make contact with the Eight Fleet as soon as possible." Murrue replied as Natarle took her place on the command chair. "But I will concede to your and to Lieutenant Stern and la Flaga's reasoning. The Eight Fleet is out there searching for us even as we speak, and this way we'll be able to avoid any untoward attention from ZAFT while lying low and waiting for the arrival of friendly forces."

* * *

Lieutenant Stern sighed as she sat down in the mess hall before tucking into her meal. Maintenance on her unit had taken longer than expected, and she also had to show the insistent 'Hawk of Endymion' how to use her unit's combat simulation mode. The man had been rather pleased to finally have a chance to pilot a Natural-configured mobile suit even if it was only in simulated combat...and had been somewhat childish in his delight. "_To be fair he is a brilliant pilot, though that's a given considering he can pilot a Mobius Zero._" She thought to herself as she chewed on her food. "_And in any case, the results of his simulations were very impressive for a first-timer to mobile suit piloting._"

Taking another bite, she looked around the mess hall and took in the sight of so many civilians present. She understood their situation, and while she certainly wasn't used to the sight of so many non-military personnel on a warship, she couldn't exactly blame them for being on the Archangel. From what she'd heard, their life pod's engine had malfunctioned, leaving them adrift amidst the ruins of Heliopolis. Orb was certain to send a rescue ship, but with their engine dead, God knows what else might have been wrong with the life pod. They weren't Atlantic Federation citizens, but the AFF had a long history of military tradition and valour – regardless of Blue Cosmos' recent influence (and if things went well that influence wouldn't have to wait until CE 73 before being purged) – and the Archangel had taken the civilians in. Not that it was much safer – the ship being a critical ZAFT target – but it was certainly better than drifting helplessly in space.

At that moment, the adolescent volunteers from Heliopolis rather timidly walked up to her table. Accompanying them were Kira and a civilian girl with red hair. "Do you require my assistance?" she asked them formally with a tone of bemusement.

"Um…" Sai replied consciously. "…we were just wondering if we could sit at your table, lieutenant."

"…feel free."

Kira and company immediately sat down at the table, and began a conversation while keeping their voices moderated to show respect to the officer sitting with them at the table. "That was so exhausting." Tolle complained while stretching his arms, referring to bridge duty.

"Come on Tolle." Sai said. "We were only helping out."

"Yeah, well you guys were only helping out combat analysis and support in the CIC." Tolle pointed out. "I'm actually the ship's co-pilot. That's a lot more exhausting than your jobs."

"Fair enough…" Sai conceded with a smile. "…and in any case, Kira was the one actually doing the fighting out there."

"Um…" Flay said, looking uncomfortable as she addressed the lieutenant." "…you're not a Coordinator are you?"

"…Flay!" Kira said, shocked that she would ask something like that to a superior officer (completely ignoring the fact that technically Flay wasn't a soldier to begin with). He immediately turned to the lieutenant. "Lieutenant, I'm sorry but…!"

"Let it go, Yamato." Alex said, eyeing the girl curiously. "So, what's your name, girl?"

"It's Flay, Flay Allster ma'am."

"…Allster…" Alex echoed, her eyes narrowing a fraction. She recognized the name, that of a late Federation Cabinet Member…and a member of Blue Cosmos according to Gilbert Durandal's expose about Logos. "…that's an interesting question, but no. I'm not a Coordinator."

"Then how can you pilot a mobile suit like Kira here can?" Kuzzey asked, not-unreasonably in her opinion.

"That's because my Windam is equipped with a Natural-configured OS." She answered with a smile. "But getting back to your earlier question, Allster, would it matter if I was a Coordinator?"

"Well no…but ZAFT is our enemy isn't it? And ZAFT is made up of Coordinators so…"

Noting the somewhat injured expression on Kira's face, Alex pressed on. "Just because ZAFT's composed entirely of Coordinators doesn't mean all Coordinators are our enemies. Unless one is a member of Blue Cosmos, of course…are you?"

"Of course not!" she responded vehemently. "But it's not like what they're saying is completely wrong either. Those people aren't even sick, so there's no reason for them to go altering genes and such…" Breaking off at the sight of Kira's increasingly hurt expression she smiled weakly and began to backtrack. "But Kira is different…"

"Allster, that sounds a lot like a Nazi saying that she hates all but one Jew." She said in all seriousness, stunning everyone at the table with the reference to the infamous political movement back during the twentieth century. "And for another thing, Coordinators never asked for their genetic enhancements. The parents of the First Generation Coordinators were the ones who decided to alter the genes of their children, while the second and later generations of Coordinators merely inherited those enhancements. They literally had no choice in the matter."

"But…"

"Let's go at this along another way." Alex said, sitting back in her place at the table. "What can you tell me about the relationship between the Atlantic Federation and the Eurasian Federation?"

"We're allies, although father tells me that neither government really trusts the other and that was the case long before the Alliance was formed."

"Correct…" Alex said, nodding. "…and the vast majority of the citizens of both the Atlantic and Eurasian Federations are Naturals. Now according to your reasoning, since ZAFT is composed of Coordinators, and ZAFT is our enemy, then all Coordinators are our enemies. But, what if the Alliance wins, and then the Atlantic Federation and Eurasia come to blows over the spoils? Does that mean that since Eurasians are Naturals, Naturals also become our enemy?"

"Yes, that's…oh…"

Alex smiled. "Exactly the reaction I was expecting. You're generalizing Allster, and that's a very dangerous thing to do, especially in war. And even if the world wasn't at war, generalizations are never a good thing. The world is never so clear cut, and things are never black and white. Sometimes they're grey and black, or just differing shades of grey. Furthermore, Kira isn't the only Coordinator in the Earth Forces, or the only one living outside of PLANT."

"So there are others like me?" Kira asked.

"Yes…" Alex replied, nodding. "…there are others like you both in the Earth Forces or just living ordinary lives down on Earth. As an organization, Blue Cosmos is very influential, but their goals are large-scale. So long as the Coordinator minority on Earth remain quiet, Blue Cosmos doesn't really care about them. In fact, without Blue Cosmos' egging things on…" Alex continued, inwardly remembering to avoid mentioning anything about Logos. "…people wouldn't hate Coordinators. They just wouldn't trust them…or to specific, the ones living in PLANT."

"…but why?" Kira asked in surprise. "We haven't done anything to the Naturals, so why wouldn't you trust us?"

"Tell me Kira, do you lord your abilities over others?"

"Of course not, but…"

"The defining difference between Coordinators from PLANT and Coordinators from Earth is simple: the former largely believe Coordinators to be a superior race compared to Naturals, and look down on us completely. Some even go far as to say that Coordinators are the next stage of Human evolution, and that Naturals should just fall behind and die. And that is why people don't trust them. Now then Kira, can you tell me why the Coordinators from Earth don't think like this?"

Kira looked at the water in his glass for a long time before giving an answer. "It's because we live and work with Naturals." He finally replied, and Alex nodded in approval at his answer. "We know that our abilities are superior compared to Naturals, but out of common decency and respect, we learn not to lord it over them. Furthermore, at times Naturals – still being Human and all – can do things just as well if not better than we can out of sheer determination and spirit."

"Precisely…" Alex said with a satisfied smile. "…personally I don't hate Coordinators. I have a childhood friend who's a Coordinator, and she lives at and owns a cattle ranch in Texas. We keep in touch, and we both share our distaste for the way her people in space look down on us Naturals and that feeling's actually shared between her and other Coordinators in the Atlantic Federation."

"But there's nothing we can do about that…" Sai ventured unhappily. "…is there?"

"I don't know…" Alex wondered out loud. "…but it's certainly something to think about if we want to stop this war from getting out of hand."

* * *

Meanwhile at PLANT the PLANT Supreme Council was in session to hear ZAFT Commander Rau le Creuset's explanation over the events at Heliopolis. Once the commander had finished his explanation, the council immediately broke out into arguments over Orb's culpability and how far the Alliance had gone with their mobile suit development program. The arguments came to halt when National Defence Committee Chairman Patrick Zala stood and posed a question to the commander.

"To explain their abilities…" Rau replied to the man's question if the captured units were worth the cost. "…I have brought one Athrun Zala with me, who had personally piloted one of these units and used it against another."

Patrick looked at Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne who gave a nod. "We will hear Athrun Zala."

Athrun saluted then began his explanation as computer screens began to display information about the Earth Forces mobile suits. "Firstly, my unit the GAT-X303 Aegis. This unit's defining characteristic is its ability to transform from a mobile suit into a mobile armour, and back again. For weapons, it has face-mounted, fire-linked 75mm Vulcan cannons and four arm and leg-mounted beam sabres. It can also equip a shield and beam rifle. However, as a mobile armour its sole armament is a high-energy beam cannon. Furthermore, it shares a design feature with the other units, and that is Phase-Shift Armour, which renders the unit invulnerable to most solid weapons given a sufficient supply of power."

"Next, we have the GAT-X102 Duel. In addition to Phase-Shift and Vulcan cannons, the unit is armed with a pair of beam sabres stored behind the shoulders. The unit can also equip a shield and a beam rifle, the latter of which incorporates an underslung grenade launcher. Considering the unit's rather basic design, we believe this unit is the basis for any mass production models."

"Third, we have the GAT-X103 Buster. This unit is designed for long-range firepower and artillery support, and is armed with shoulder-mounted, eight-tube missile launchers. It is also armed with a beam rifle and shotgun-like beam launcher which may be combined for long-range, high-power, hi-beam shots. Apart from Phase-Shift, this unit has no other design features."

"Fourth, we have the GAT-X207 Blitz. This unit appears to have been designed with covert operations in mind, as evidenced by its revolutionary Mirage Colloid Stealth System, the only caveat of which is its inability to operate simultaneously with Phase-Shift Armour. The unit is armed with a rocket-propelled grappling hook mounted on the left arm, and an integrated weapons array on the right arm, incorporating a shield, a beam rifle, and kinetic-kill lancer darts."

"Fifth, we have the GAT-X105 Strike, and the only prototype we've failed to capture. Its design is rather basic; Phase-Shift, armour-piercing daggers, and Vulcan cannons…but the most dangerous aspect of this unit is the ability to make use of Striker Packs for a variety of combat situations. Aile, which improves the unit's speed and mobility, while also granting the unit the use of two beam sabres and while in-atmosphere, low-altitude flight capability. The Strike can also use a shield and a beam rifle while in its basic configuration and with the Aile Striker Pack. Other Striker Packs include the Sword, which gives the Strike access to an anti-ship beam sword, a beam boomerang, and a grappling hook, and the Launcher, which gives the Strike access to a shoulder-mounted Gatling gun and a heavy beam launcher powerful enough to breach a colony wall."

"And finally, we have this unrecognized unit. We've designated it a GM…short for General Model. Its streamlined and non-distinguished design all point it to being the first of a mass production series of mobile suits. Its armament appears to be composed of Vulcan cannons – which appear to be of smaller calibre compared to the prototypes – and waist-stored beam sabres. It can also equip a shield – which stores missiles – and a beam rifle. Most disturbingly, despite being a mass production model, the GM appears to be capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the prototype units thanks to its speed despite the unit's rather common weapon load-out." As the screens shifted back to the ZAFT emblem, Athrun Zala saluted and returned to his seat.

"Damn Naturals…" Councillor Jeremy Maxwell raged. "…making such horrendous things…!"

"But they've only begun mass production, haven't they?" Diplomatic Committee Chairman Eileen Canaver countered. "Surely they can't be…"

"And what happens if they finish their production run?" Councillor Ezalia Joule interrupted. "Do you intend on panicking then?"

"This is a clear indication of the Naturals' intent to escalate the war!" Councillor Yuri Amalfi agreed with Ezalia.

"Councillors, please remain calm!" Siegel said, bringing the meeting back into order.

"There are none who wish to fight." Patrick said softly but firmly. "Is there any here who would truly wish to send people to die on the battlefield? We only wish to live in peace and tranquillity! But who were the ones who denied that wish, after taking advantage of our abilities for their own selfish greed? We will never forget that terrible day…Bloody Valentine…243,721 people. It has been a year since then, but still we endure and stand by our minimal demands to end this war quickly and peacefully. However it would seem the Naturals have no intention of accepting our peaceful intentions. We do not wish to fight, but if we have to fight to protect ourselves and our future, then we have no choice but to fight!"

As Patrick's speech came to an end, a series of approving nods came in reply, with the exceptions of both Siegel and Eileen. Sitting to the side of the meeting room, Rau smiled in amusement, while Athrun adopted a trouble expression at his father's belligerent rhetoric.

* * *

"…Captain!" Tonomura called out from his station. "I've picked up an incoming transmission."

"Where and who is it from?" Murrue replied as Natarle floated to the man's station.

"…verifying…they're friendlies!"

"Are you sure?"

"There's no doubt about it!" Natarle replied, looking back to the captain with a rare smile on her face. "It's from the Eight Fleet!"

"What does it say?"

"…patching it through…I've got it."

"This is the Eight Fleet…Force Montgomery…Archangel, please respond."

"It's definitely from Admiral Halberton!" Murrue exclaimed happily, as cheers erupted across the bridge. "Change course, and move to rendezvous. I don't think we need to go and sift through salvage in the Debris Belt anymore, do we Natarle?"

"No captain, I don't think we need to." She replied, sharing a smile with the captain as the ship changed course. "We just need to hang on a little longer."

* * *

"Lacus has been found and is on her way back to PLANT?" Athrun echoed as he stood in the Vesalius' boarding hatch. "…thank God she's safe."

"Yes, however your reunion with your fiancée will have to wait Athrun." Patrick told his son. "Now that the Vesalius has prepped for early launch, you might as well take advantage of it. I want that new Earth Forces ship with its mobile suits sunk, and considering you have all four prototypes aboard, I fully expect it to happen."

"Chairman, about the matter we discussed…" Rau interjected smoothly, and Patrick nodded.

"Just leave it to me." He said as he floated back towards the space dock, ignoring Dearka and Yzak as they floated towards the Vesalius while giving salutes of their own. "You'll get your reinforcements, regardless of whatever objections those idiot moderates have. Halberton may be a Natural but he's no fool; he's the man behind the Alliance's mobile suits, and he'll undoubtedly risk his entire fleet to secure his last unit. If so, then it's time he retired, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes sir!" Rau and Athrun chorused, giving salutes. Once the man was out of sight, the two immediately dropped their salutes. "I wonder if father is getting reckless, commander." Athrun commented. "If the Alliance has truly begun mass production of their mobile suits, then even a fleet battle isn't guaranteed to go well for us, considering the abilities of the GM we encountered."

"Even if the Alliance has begun mass production of mobile suits…" Rau countered with a smile as he went ahead of Athrun back into the ship. "…training pilots and preparing appropriate tactics is just as important. And in both we still have the advantage, to say nothing of warship support. Our ships are superior to those of the Alliance, don't forget that. You shouldn't worry too much, Athrun."

"_There are also more of them that there are of us…_" Athrun thought to himself as he followed after Rau. "_…and quantity is also a quality of its own._"

* * *

"Captain…" the XO said, giving a report to the Nelson-class' captain. "…I think you need to see this."

"Is this accurate?" the captain asked after looking over the report.

"Yes sir; between the intercepted communications from Earth, the Moon, and PLANT, there's no doubt about it at all. The transmission we received from the Eight Fleet is just further proof."

"Indeed…" the captain said, thinking deeply before giving new orders. "…change course, and prepare to rendezvous with the Eight Fleet's Advance Force!"

* * *

A/N

To be honest, I never really bought the part in canon about all Coordinators simply getting up and leaving for PLANT. They will have Natural relatives, and I'm pretty sure the Atlantic Federation wouldn't be capable of USSR-like purges and such to get rid of their Coordinators (it's the USA people), so I changed Blue Cosmos' characterization here so that while they intend to reduce PLANT to ashes, the Coordinators who live quietly on Earth are left alone so long as they don't get uppity and such.

And note the UC reference; for us who know better, General Model is clearly a reference to the RGM-79 GM, the first mass produced mobile suit of the EFF in the original Mobile Suit Gundam. In-series (and to those who've never watched/looked-up the original series), it's just a ZAFT designation for what they believe is Earth's first mass produced mobile suit (the Strike Dagger technically is the first, but not in this timeline).


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed, and this work is merely a creative and absolutely non-commercial exercise on my part.

Reality and Reunions

"Once the rendezvous is complete, the Archangel will be under the Advance Force's command." Captain Koopman of the Nelson-class Battleship Montgomery told Murrue over the communications link. "Further arrangements will be made once we re-join the fleet, but for now, concentrate on hanging on for just a little longer."

"I understand, captain." Murrue acknowledged, shortly before the video feed expanded to show an officious-looking man sitting beside the captain on the Montgomery's bridge.

"I am the Vice Foreign Minister of the Atlantic Federation, George Allster." The man introduced himself. "I was quite surprised to see my daughter's name among the register of refugees aboard. Would it be possible to speak with her?"

A surprised Murrue and Natarle shared a perplexed look between them, while in the CIC Sai smiled somewhat apologetically. "That sounds like Flay's father alright."

"Minister Allster…" Captain Koopman said, turning to the official. "…that can wait until after we complete the rendezvous."

"But of course…" the Minister replied, somewhat disappointed. "…well then, I look forward to…" The Minister was abruptly interrupted as the video link was cut and static swamped the audio feed.

"…the communication was cut?" Natarle retorted in alarm, floating up from her place in the CIC to Tonomura's station.

"This is…!" the man reported, frantically working on his station. "…there's no doubt about it. It's a jammer!" Natarle looked down at Murrue who nodded before barking out new orders.

"Issue a Level One Battle Alert! Increase speed to combat speed, and have all units launch immediately!"

* * *

"All hands to stations!" Miriallia's voice echoed across the ship. "All pilots to units, this is a Level One Battle Alert!"

"…damn ZAFT!" Alex cursed, jumping out of her bunk and grabbing her uniform blouse before putting on her boots and rushing out of her cabin. Mu did likewise, stowing his magazine before rushing out his cabin.

"…Kira!" Flay shouted after Kira as he rushed down a hallway towards the hangar. "Will everything be alright? Will my father be alright?"

"Don't worry…" Kira said reassuringly to the redhead holding onto him. "…we're heading out as well, so I'm sure everything will be alright."

"…really?"

"…yes, I'm sure."

* * *

"You're late!" Alex shouted down at Kira from her Windam's cockpit as she spotted the Coordinator finally heading for the Strike. The Mobius Zero was already being moved towards the port launch bay, and her Windam should be heading for the starboard launch bay, if not for the Strike still being pilotless.

"Sorry, it won't happen again." Kira apologized, and a mollified Alex closed her cockpit.

"See that it doesn't." she said, her Windam moving into launch position.

"Kira…" Sai said over the line as the Strike and the Windam moved into launch position while the Mobius Zero flew around the ship waiting for the mobile suits to launch as well. "…Flay's father is with the Advance Force. I'd consider it a personal favour if you can guarantee his survival."

"Sai, I…" Kira was about to promise him just that when Alex cut in.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Yamato." Alex said grimly, addressing the Strike's pilot. "We're heading out onto the battlefield. People die there; focus on surviving and getting the job done, but don't make promises. There are no guarantees out there."

"Lieutenant…" Kira said, somewhat shocked by her words, but he couldn't find the right words to counter them.

"…Alexandria Stern, Storm Bird-One heading out!" Alex said, as her Windam launched. After a moment, Kira swallowed grimly as the Aile Striker was connected to his unit.

"Kira Yamato, Strike, launching!" he said, and the Strike launched from the Archangel.

* * *

Elsewhere, the Duel, the Buster, the Blitz, and the Aegis soared out from the slowly closing Vesalius towards the Eight Fleet's Advance Force. "N-Jammer is active." One of the Montgomery's bridge crew reported. "All mobile armours have launched. Incoming enemy units...analysing…this is…they're all G-Weapons!"

"…damnation." Captain Koopman growled. "To think that we'll get sunk by our own units…can we contact the Archangel?"

"Negative captain; all long-range communications are being jammed!"

The twelve Mobius mobile armours of the Advance Force advanced against the four stolen G-Weapons, linear cannons and missiles firing. The four mobile suits scattered while counterattacking; the Buster fired its beam rifle twice, shooting down two units. Dearka then fired his gun launcher, pulverizing another three units.

Dearka whistled smoothly. "That's five down." He boasted confidently. The other ZAFT pilots refused to comment; Nicol and Athrun combined their attacks, firing off beam after beam and taking out six units while Yzak shot down only one, much to his irritation. With the mobile armours out of the way, the four units headed for the Advance Force with deadly intent.

The Earth Forces opened fire, beams, missiles and bullets searing out towards the advancing ZAFT units. The four units scattered again, forcing the Alliance warships to disperse their fire.

"…time to take home one hell of a trophy!" Dearka said with a smirk as he combined his weapons and fired a hi-beam shot, destroying a Drake-class in one shot. Almost simultaneously, the Aegis transformed into a mobile armour and fired its high-energy beam cannon, ripping the second Drake-class in half from prow to stern. "Nice shot, Athrun!" Dearka cheered, firing his beam rifle and destroying the Nelson-class forward dorsal dual beam cannon. He then closed in to fire at the bridge at point-blank range…only to get hit by a shot from one of the Archangel's Valiant linear cannons.

The shot failed to destroy the Buster, but it collapsed the unit's Phase-Shift Armour, and forced Dearka to shield his face as several small explosions erupted in the cockpit. "…Dearka!" Athrun shouted in alarm. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" he replied, already piloting the Buster out of the combat zone and back to the Vesalius. "But my armour's gone, and so are the primary weapon controls and movement systems. I'm down to auxiliary systems; I need to fall back."

"Roger…" Athrun said, falling back to a safe distance from the wounded but still fighting Nelson-class. "…Kira, will you be coming?"

"That attack…" Nicol asked, moving his unit alongside the Duel. "…was it from the legged-ship?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Yzak retorted, his cameras homing in on the approaching units from the Archangel. "Here they come!"

"Ha…looks like someone remembers me." Alex commented wryly, spotting the Duel flying towards her on an intercept course. "I'm touched." She said, opening fire and forcing the G-Weapon to dodge.

"Not bad…for a Natural." Yzak conceded, avoiding the Windam's shots with some difficulty. "Let's see how good you are up close." He said, drawing a beam sabre and charging in. Alex also drew a beam sabre and engaged the Duel in close-quarters combat. Within moments, the two units were like two comets, their exhaust leaving arcs around the surrounding space, brilliant flashes searing through space whenever their sabres clashed against each other.

Mu however, concentrated on the Blitz, firing his linear cannon before deploying a pair of gun-barrels. The Blitz dodged the first shot with ease, only for a gun-barrel to fire at the Blitz from behind. It failed to punch through the armour, but it certainly caught Nicol's attention, and allowing Mu to fire his linear cannon again and to actually hit this time, causing moderate damage to the Blitz's right shoulder. Nicol snarled in anger, firing back with his beam rifle. Mu evaded, launching his other gun-barrels, fire from one of which disabled the rocket-propelled grappling hook mounted on the Blitz's right arm.

"Don't get excited kid." Mu said chidingly. "The Mobius Zero isn't just another mobile armour."

Kira and the Strike, however, were focused on the Aegis and its pilot Athrun Zala. The two units traded fire, green beams lancing across the darkness of space as the Aegis and the Strike danced a deadly dance with each other. "Kira…" Athrun said over a closed line. "…won't you come back with us?"

"Stop it, Athrun!" Kira shot back. "I'm not joining ZAFT! I wouldn't even be with the Earth Forces if my friends weren't on that ship!"

"What are you saying Kira?" Athrun shouted. "Is that enough of a reason to fight against your own people for the Naturals?"

"Athrun, my parents are Naturals!" Kira roared angrily. "So are my friends! Stop talking as though they aren't people!"

"Kira, I didn't mean it that way!" Athrun said, attempting to backtrack. In response, Kira drew a beam sabre and charged.

* * *

The Vesalius closed in on the wounded Montgomery, its beam cannons firing ranging shots. "Now approaching Earth Forces Nelson-class; the Vesalius will enter firing range in twenty seconds." A crewman reported.

"The legged-ship is advancing from starboard." Another crewman reported. "We will be in their range in fifty seconds."

"Fifty seconds is plenty." Rau said with a smile, as the Vesalius' laser designators came online and locked onto the Montgomery.

* * *

"Minister Allster…" Captain Koopman told the pale-faced man beside him. "…I cannot guarantee your safety. Please proceed to evacuate aboard your shuttle immediately."

"I…I understand." The man responded with a stutter, and immediately floated over to the bridge elevator.

* * *

"Prepare to fire the Lohengrin." Natarle ordered in the CIC. "Target the enemy Nazca-class." At that moment, the bridge elevator doors slid open, and Flay floated into the bridge, wearing a dazed expression on her face. "Father…is father's ship alright?" she asked, nearly catatonic.

"Civilians are not allowed on the bridge in a combat situation!" Murrue snapped, turning her command chair to face the young girl. "Leave immediately, Miss Allster!"

"…Flay!" Sai said, leaving his station at the CIC to grab Flay's arm and try to gently remove her from the bridge. She stirred at his touch, and she grabbed his arms with a vice-like grip. "We're going to win right? Kira said everything will be alright, since we're joining the battle too."

Sai just looked away, unable to face the desperately hopeful expression on her face. "The enemy has mobile suits too…" Sai didn't even manage to finish what he was saying as the Vesalius' beam cannons fired, coring the Montgomery and causing it to explode in a moment. As the fireball filled the tactical displays on the Archangel's bridge, Flay screamed, kicking herself away from her fiancé and from the tactical displays, as though trying to get away from the awful realization that her father was now dead. As she backed against the bridge wall, she began to convulse, despite Sai's desperate efforts to calm her down. "Volunteer Argyle…" Natarle snapped from the CIC. "…please evacuate Miss Allster from the bridge immediately! Captain…!"

"I understand." Murrue said, grinding her teeth angrily. "Prepare to engage the Nazca-class, and to provide support for all our mobile weapons!"

* * *

"Bloody hell…" Alex cursed, as she crossed blades with the Duel yet again. "…the Montgomery's gone!"

"Don't get distracted!" Yzak shouted, batting away the Windam's beam sabre before kicking the mobile suit away. Realizing that a mass production model would unlikely possess Phase-Shift Armour, he aimed his beam rifle and prepared to fire the underslung grenade…when another beam lanced down out of nowhere, destroying his beam rifle.

"What…?" he snarled in surprise, as more beams batted down on his hastily-raised shield and around his unit.

"Enemy reinforcements...!" Nicol retorted in surprise.

* * *

"Those are…General Models!" Ades said in shock and surprise, as the tactical displays on the Vesalius' bridge displayed staggered ranks of Windams flanking the combat zone and raining down green beams onto the ZAFT mobile suits.

"How many enemy units are there?" Rau demanded angrily; they had been caught off-guard, and that was something he was very much unaccustomed to.

"Scanning…we have fourteen General Models." A crewman reported. "I also detect a modified Nelson-class and four modified Drake-class ships closing from port.

"Issue the retreat signal!" Rau ordered. "We can't deal with this on our own!"

* * *

"…damn it!" Yzak cursed, spotting the signal flares from the Vesalius. As he moved to retreat, a proximity alarm began to scream. Turning, he spotted a Windam closing with a drawn beam sabre raised to strike.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Alex shouted, avoiding the fire from the Duel's Vulcan cannons, before slashing down with her beam sabre, cutting a gash across the Duel's torso, Yzak having manoeuvred his unit so as to avoid getting cut down. But Alex wasn't finished yet; before the wounded Duel could back away, she stabbed the explosive armour-breaker in her unit's other hand into the gash in the mobile suit's armour, backing away before it exploded.

The resulting explosion tore into the Duel's cockpit, causing Yzak to scream in agony as flames seared the right side of his body and a jagged piece of metal tore through his visor and into his face. "…Yzak!" Athrun shouted, transforming into a mobile armour and repeatedly firing his high-energy beam cannon, preventing Alex from following through. Nicol in the meantime grabbed onto one of the Duel's arms and dragged the unit away from the combat zone, followed by Athrun and the Aegis.

* * *

The entire Archangel bridge crew was staring out the windows and at the tactical displays at the blue and white mobile suits flying around the ship and securing the surrounding area. "GAT-04 Windam…" Tonomura whispered in awe. "…they're all our units."

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission from the Nelson-class Battleship Sun Tzu."

"…patch it through." Murrue ordered, and the main tactical display switched to the image of a scarred man with greying hair and wearing an Atlantic Federation uniform.

"Captain Ramius, I am Captain Timothy Drake of the Sun Tzu." The man introduced himself. "Are you alright?"

"Yes captain…" she replied before sighing. "…unfortunately the Montgomery…"

"I understand captain; at the very least we managed to arrive in time before the Nazca-class could engage. Would it be possible to meet in person to discuss our next step?"

"Yes, perhaps that would be best."

"By the way, we detected Lieutenant Stern's IFF; I trust she hasn't been a hastle?"

Murrue raised an eyebrow in surprise. Captain Drake was Alex's commanding officer? "No, she's been of great assistance to us. If you'd like I can transfer her back to your command…"

"There's no need, Captain Ramius." The man replied with a friendly, if wintery, smile. "We were quite worried when we realized that we'd been sent back in time and she wasn't accounted for. I'm glad that not only is she alive, but she's been of assistance. I look forward to meeting with you in person, Captain Ramius."

"Likewise, Captain Drake…" She replied, giving a salute before the line was cut.

* * *

Alex watched the Windams flying around and noted the IFF of the approaching Alliance warships. Switching to another channel she called out a couple of call signs. "Storm Bird-Two, Storm Bird-Three, please come in." In response, a pair of video feeds opened up on her panoramic display.

"Alex!" a blonde shouted in happy surprise.

"Sis, you're alive!" another brunette with the same face as her said with a similar tone.

"Well, you know the saying…" Alex responded with a smile. "…don't stop dancing until the Fat Lady sings."

As her twin and their best friend laughed, Alex felt her smile grow wider. "_It's good to be back._" She thought to herself.

* * *

Later on, Alex found herself floating down a hallway in the Archangel; Captain Drake was still speaking with Captain Ramius and her XO in the Captain's Office, but it seemed that she would continue to remain with the Archangel instead of returning to the Sun Tzu. Well, she supposed it wasn't that bad of an arrangement, although she did miss her twin sister somewhat.

"Ah Alex…" Mu said cheerfully, meeting her by chance at an intersection. "…those girls of yours, they're quite lively from the sound of things."

Alex smiled faintly at the man's attempts to open up a conversation. "Lahmia is my sister; my younger twin sister to be precise, while Nene Johnson is our best friend from the Academy."

Mu was about to say something when they heard a girl shouting from where the civilians and the volunteers were quartered. Sharing a concerned glance with Alex, the two sped off in the direction where the shouting was coming from.

"…liar!" Flay spat at Kira, who flinched. "You said that everything would be alright. You said things would be fine since we were going." None of the people present noticed the two officers arrive behind them. "Why didn't you save father's ship?" Flay continued her hate-filled tirade. "…because you're a Coordinator, you weren't fighting seriously, were you!"

Kira staggered back from Flay's last words, and as the girl collapsed into a fresh bout of crying, turned to run from the cabin…only to have his arm grabbed by a stone-faced Alex, who swung him towards Mu. "Leave this to me, Mu." She said.

"Come on Kira…" Mu said, pulling Kira along. As they left, he shot back over his shoulder. "...don't go too far."

Alex didn't bother to respond, instead floating over to Flay, who she promptly pulled from a surprised Sai's arms before savagely backhanding her across the face. "What are you…?" Sai began to say in outrage when the lieutenant glared at him.

"Silence, Volunteer!" she ordered, and Sai backed down before the tone of command in her voice. Satisfied, Alex turned back to Flay. "A maggot like you who's never stepped onto the battlefield, who hasn't placed his or her life on the line for a greater cause, who doesn't know the burden of command or responsibility, has no right to judge the actions of someone who has or does."

"My father…!" Flay began to say when Alex punched her, sending her tumbling to the ground, from where she looked up at her in shock.

"The Archangel is a military vessel, Ms Allster." Alex said coldly, venom dripping from every word. "I would suggest you remember that. As such, you are subject to military regulation and discipline, and are expected to show respect to all military personnel aboard, from the captain herself or to the lowest volunteer…which includes Volunteer Yamato. I'll leave you off with a warning for now, but the next time you run off your mouth, I'll throw you in the brig!"

* * *

"Kira…how do you feel?" Mu asked as they sat together in the Archangel's mess hall. The boy didn't respond. Mu sighed before continuing. "Right now you feel absolutely wretched, blaming yourself for the deaths of others as though you killed them yourself even though you didn't pull the trigger...I'm right aren't I?" Kira looked at Mu in shock.

"Do you know how I got the title 'Hawk of Endymion'? Mu asked rhetorically. "Back during the first year of the war, ZAFT laid siege to our base at the Endymion Crater on the Moon, and we held them off for a month. I earned my title there, leading a squadron of elite Mobius Zero mobile armours. Each and every last one of us could match a ZAFT pilot. And we were all of us, friends."

"What happened?"

"The base fell…but there was a failsafe built into the facility." Mu said grimly. "It was called the Cyclops System, and it emitted powerful microwaves that completely destroyed the base, the victorious ZAFT forces, and almost all of the surviving Earth Forces. It was by all accounts a crushing Earth Alliance victory, and ever since then ZAFT has made no effort to assault the Moon."

"But your friends…"

"Yeah, they all died. Not at the hands of the Cyclops, but during the bloody, last-ditch fighting. I was the only survivor." Mu looked at Kira. "Kira, my point is that if you fight, people will die. There's nothing we can do about that. What matters is that we make their sacrifice mean something. What matters is that they didn't die in vain. And that's why you should always remember what you're fighting for, or you'll become a monster who kills simply for the sake of killing. A soldier kills not because he wants to kill, but because he has something he wants to protect. Do you understand?"

"I think I do, but…"

"What does this have to do with that girl's father?" Mu asked. "Like it or not Kira, right now you're a soldier. That's why I want to ask: what are you fighting for?"

"I…I just want to protect my friends."

"Then there you have it. Your friends are still alive because of what you did. True, you failed to save the Montgomery, but you can't save everyone. You're only a Human and you will never be a god who can be everywhere and save everyone all at the same time. You can only save so much people all by yourself. Now, eat up. I had to rouse the cooks to get you something warm to eat, so try not to waste their efforts, all right?"

Feeling somewhat comforted, Kira smiled faintly before digging into his meal. Impossibly enough, he really did feel much better afterwards.

* * *

A/N

Blitz12: yes, that line from chapter one is a shout-out to Gundam 00.

To my readers, I must ask: am I moving too fast? I did compress episodes four and five in chapter one, and I skipped episode six before rewriting and compressing episodes seven and eight in chapter two. And now this chapter compressed episodes nine and ten. Is everything alright? Or should I alter my pacing? I am also open to future suggestions and the like, so feel free to do so in reviews or PMs.


End file.
